An analysis of current Appointment-Plus higher education clients shows that 34 of them rank in the top 100 of U.S. News and World Report’s National University Rankings.

PRLog - Dec. 6, 2011 - SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Scottsdale, AZ – A new analysis from Appointment-Plus, the worldwide experts in online scheduling solutions and creators of the industry’s most flexible and feature-rich booking system, reveals that 34 of its higher education clients rank in the top 100 of U.S. News and World Report’s National University Rankings, solidifying its position as the number one online scheduling provider for large colleges and university systems. Hundreds of these institutions of higher education have scheduled over 9 million appointments through the Appointment-Plus online scheduling system since its launch in 2001.

Among these universities and university systems and their report rankings are:

Because of its versatility, Appointment-Plus (http://www.appointment-plus.com) is relied upon for scheduling a variety of different appointments and services, such as academic advising, counseling and tutoring, as well for booking testing centers and athletic facilities. A survey of its higher education clients in early 2011 shows that the software has a significant and positive impact on their scheduling processes: 69.6 percent say that 50 percent or more of their students now book their appointments and reservations online, which equates into measured time savings for 95.6 percent of respondents. These students would have otherwise booked their times over the phone, by e-mail or in-person.

“Appointment scheduling can be a complex process, which is why most online scheduling software applications are ill-suited for the needs of larger colleges and university systems,” says Bob La Loggia, CEO of Appointment-Plus. “With over 10 years of experience in online scheduling technologies, Appointment-Plus offers unmatched functionality, customization and client support to create the perfect scheduling solution for these institutions.

“It’s no wonder than the nation’s top institutes of higher learning count on Appointment-Plus for their student- and facility-scheduling processes.”

A leader in online appointment software since 2001, Appointment-Plus offers larger colleges and university systems unique services not found in other online scheduling software providers. These services, geared specifically for large and medium-sized organizations, include:

• A highly scalable system that allows college systems to easily accommodate increases in workload, users and growth.• Web services, including integrations with existing software systems.• The most configurable scheduling software system available.• 24-hour support from its headquarters in Scottsdale, Ariz.• Dedicated support contacts.• “Turnkey”, existing solutions that are instantly ready to go live.• Custom graphic user interface (GUI) development. • Robust reporting capabilities.

University system and college administrators that take advantage of these offered services can quickly implement a scheduling system that instantly integrates into their existing processes. This is especially beneficial to institutions wishing to utilize the software in multiple office and campus locations.

In addition to these incomparable services, Appointment-Plus comes standard with proven functionality that has made it the world’s most popular online scheduling software, such as:

• Online student self-scheduling, whereby individuals can book their own appointments 24 hours a day and at their own convenience, not just during normal office hours.• Automated e-mail and text message reminders sent by the system prior to a scheduled appointment or reservation time.• Robust record-keeping and reporting options that make it simply to access and compile appointment and student data.

Administrators also appreciate the pre-set “rules” of the Appointment-Plus online scheduling software system, which prevents over-bookings or students from booking one service multiple times, such as at a testing center.

In addition to its industry-leading scheduling functionality, Appointment-Plus also offers the best integration solutions for connecting its scheduler with popular software applications routinely used by university personnel. This includes syncs with e-marketing service providers such as Constant Contact, iContact, MailChimp and Vertical Response. Future releases of particular interest to education professionals and staff include syncs with Google and Microsoft Outlook calendars and an enhanced mobile Web app.

As a Web-based application, Appointment-Plus online scheduling software requires only an Internet connection to utilize. No downloads, installations or additional hardware are necessary.

“Scheduling student appointments over the phone, by e-mail or in-person is inefficient and places an unnecessary burden on both staff and students, most of who are already connected to the Internet 24 hours a day,” La Loggia adds. “We give large institutions and university systems the tools they need to completely automate and streamline this important, but usually time-consuming and tedious, process.”

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About Appointment-Plus: Appointment-Plus (http://www.appointment-plus.com) is the worldwide leader in online scheduling solutions for growing businesses, enterprises, higher education, government and logistics. With over 15 million end-users and 75 million appointments booked since its inception in 2001, Appointment-Plus is one of the fastest growing cloud-based services in the world. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., organizations ranging in size from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses use Appointment-Plus to book an average of 2.5 million appointments monthly.

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About Appointment-Plus: Appointment-Plus (http://www.appointment-plus.com) is the worldwide leader in online scheduling solutions for growing businesses, enterprises, higher education, government and logistics. With over 15 million end-users and 75 million appointments booked since its inception in 2001, Appointment-Plus is one of the fastest growing cloud-based services in the world. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., organizations ranging in size from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses use Appointment-Plus to book an average of 2.5 million appointments monthly.